Springs kicks off peak season for SM parks, trails

SAN MARCOS -- As spring approaches, sports enthusiasts and
families are filling city parks, and joggers, hikers and horseback
riders are taking to its 15-mile network of trails.

On Monday evening, Paul Garcia sat in the Bradley Park bleachers
watching a pitcher on a girls' softball team called the Prima
Donnas wreak havoc on home plate.

"It's good that the city has these activities. It's a good way
to keep (kids) out of trouble," said Garcia, whose 11-year-old
daughter, Kara Mullert, plays on the team. "I love the parks out
here. I've been to the lake (at Woodland Park) with the ducks two
or three times this month."

Judging from the number of people who visit the city's parks
each month, Garcia isn't alone. On a typical month, 30,000 people
participate in organized sports, hikes and other activities
coordinated by the city. Thousands more use the parks on a daily
basis, but the city doesn't have an accurate way of counting them,
said Bill Schramm, community services director for the city.

Spring, summer and fall are typically busier than the winter
because most organized sports teams take a winter break. Between
Memorial Day and Labor Day, some 45,000 people are expected to
visit the city's two public pools, Schramm said.

In March, youth and adult softball teams take to the fields for
their spring seasons. As Garcia watched his daughter, his wife was
across town watching their other daughter, Jessica Garcia, play
peewee T-ball.

Garcia said the family, which lives off Rancho Santa Fe Road,
uses the parks often and said he was glad that the playground
equipment has been replaced in recent years.

On a set of nearby bleachers, Laura Kruggel watched the same
girls' game as she waited for her coed softball team to take the
field. "We're all amateurs, but we have fun," said Kruggel, 47, the
catcher. Although Kruggel lives in Vista, she works at Palomar
College and said she's always used San Marcos parks. "I like
playing in general and they have good parks," she said.

The inventory

The city's parks offer a hodgepodge of recreational activities
from pools and "spray grounds" to nature hikes and equestrian
trails. Mini-parks, which are two acres or less, with benches,
basketball courts and tot lots also are sprinkled throughout the
city.

San Marcos has 12 mini-parks and eight community parks, which
serve the entire city and are typically between 20 and 100
acres.

The city's goal over the next 19 years is to add another
community park and 12 neighborhood parks, including ones on the
Hollandia Dairy property and one near Buena Pond just north of Las
Posas terminus, said Assistant Community Services Director Craig
Sargent-Beach.

The city also expects to add one regional park, bringing the
total to 22 parks. Regional parks are typically at least 50 acres,
while neighborhood parks are typically between five and 20 acres,
he said.

The regional park the city is planning, Double Peak Regional
Park, will be in the 3,398-home San Elijo Hills development in
southwest San Marcos and will be built by the developer and the
city.

The park will stretch along the Cerro de las Posas ridgeline and
may include an amphitheater and nature and equestrian centers. The
city had planned for the park to cover all 200 acres slated for
open space, but the exact acreage and features will depend on
whether San Elijo Hills builds a 120-acre golf course planned in
the same area, Sargent-Beach said.

If the golf course is approved later this year, the amount of
land available for a park would be reduced significantly, he said.
The city is reviewing the golf course plans and has asked for
studies on the impact it will have on area watersheds and views,
among other things.

"Until the studies come in, the city won't have a comment on
what the project entails," Sargent-Beach said.

By 2020, the city expects to have 450 acres of parks, excluding
mini-parks and a regional park. The acreage reflects not only the
additional parks, but expansions of existing parks, which now cover
132 acres. For instance, Bradley Park now spans 26 acres at the
corner of Linda Vista and Rancho Santa Fe Road, but the city's
long-term plan calls for it to be 44 acres.

If a developer is building in an area where a park is called for
in the city's parks plan, the developer will be required to pay for
and build the park, Sargent-Beach said. Aside from such
dedications, the city acquires land for parks with money from
public facilities fees, which developers pay to cover their
project's impact on city streets and parks. The city also sometimes
dips into its general fund or capital improvements budget to expand
or build parks, or applies for grants.

Trails: Connecting the dots

Fifteen miles of trails weave through the city -- stretching
down Twin Oaks Valley Road and climbing along the Cerro de las
Posas ridge line paralleling some of the city's busier streets and
parks. Another 37 miles of trails are approved, including 13 miles
that will wind through the 3,398-home San Elijo Hills development
under construction in southwest San Marcos.

Eventually, the city will have 72 miles of trails that will all
be linked, said Schramm. "The key is connectivity. We have a plan
that over time as development occurs … where one trail ends the
next trail picks up," Schramm said. It will probably be about nine
years before the system is complete, he said.

"I kind of call it the connect-the-dots game," said
Sargent-Beach, holding a map of the city's trails with the
existing, approved and future trails in different colors.

Builders are required by the city to complete the portions of
trails that twist through their developments, Schramm said. "Most
of these developers are getting real savvy and realizing the trails
are the biggest marketing tool they've got," he said.

With two colleges and a growing number of families settling in
the city, trails are bound to be popular, Sargent-Beach said. The
trails are not only for the young, he said, recalling a 70- or
80-something man climbing past the water tank on the steep trail
above Discovery Lake.

A mix of competitive runners and families or dog owners are
common sights along the trails, he said. The trails behind
Discovery Hills in Discovery Lake Park are the best developed and
most popular in the city, Schramm said.

Trails in Discovery Lake Park include:

Discovery Lake Loop: The paved trail around the lake offers
mountain views to the south. Bobcats and deer have been seen near
the lake and coots, mallards, herons and an occasional egret can
also be spotted. A rock-crushing plant is located to the southeast
and may be operating during the day. The multi-use trail is an easy
0.8-mile loop around the lake. It serves bikers, joggers, in-line
skaters, horses, strollers and dogs on leashes.

Discovery Creek: The trail from Discovery Lake to Discovery
Elementary School off McMahr Road is relatively level and a
two-mile round-trip hike. It offers views of the creek and the
mountains to the south.

Double Peak: The city's most grueling hike climbs 2.5 miles up
to Double Peak. At 1,644 feet, it is the second highest peak in the
Cerro de las Posas mountains in San Marcos. On a clear day, the
peak offers views of the Pacific Ocean, coastal lagoons, Mount
Baldy and the Palomar mountains. Sturdy shoes and water are musts.
Horses, and dogs on leashes, are allowed.

Cima Drive Loop: A moderate to difficult three-mile trail that
offers a more rugged trek into the open space south of Discovery
Hills. The trail goes through on old olive grove that was planted
80 years ago, but was burned in the Harmony Grove fire. Horses and
dogs on leashes are allowed.

Other trails

Twin Oaks Valley: The trail that stretches down Twin Oaks
Valley Road starts by the Williams Barn in Walnut Grove Park. It is
a four-mile round trip that leads past the Twin Oaks Golf Course.
It is a popular spot for joggers and walkers alike. Horses and dogs
on leashes are also allowed.

Las Posas/Borden Road: Soft-surfaced and paved trails parallel
Las Posas and Borden Roads. A two-mile round trip can be taken from
Las Posas Park and a three-mile loop starts by using the back
parking lot entrance to Palomar College from Borden Road.

Town Center Trail: The paved trail wraps around the Town Center
along San Marcos Boulevard, Twin Oaks Valley Road, Mission Road and
by City Hall, the library and community center.

Jack's Pond: A half-mile trail winds past Jack's Pond in Jack's
Pond Park off La Moree Road. The trail to the pond begins just to
the right of the Nature Center. The area is filled with willows,
cattails, laurel sumac, black sage and other native plants.

Other ways to get out

For those who'd rather play ball or picnic than hike, the city's
parks offer a wide range of recreational activities. The city's
major parks are:

Mission Sports Park: On Saturdays and weeknights, youth
baseball leagues fill the three ballfields at the 14-acre park
across from Palomar College. One of the city's newest parks, it
also has a soccer field and picnic tables.

Bradley Park: Some say the park is the best place to be on July
4 because of the annual fireworks show held there. The city's
oldest park has undergone a few name changes and one sign still
reads: San Marcos City Park. It has three ballfields, two soccer
fields, a playground, picnic gazebo and a horseshoe pit.

Woodland Park: A popular picnic spot with a pond ducks, and
families flock, too. It also has a public pool with a waterslide,
diving boards and a wading pool. The 11-acre park off Woodland
Parkway also features a pond and is the home of the Woods House,
which was built in 1885. A number of additions were added to the
house over the years and it was renovated by the city to host
meetings, parties and weddings.

Walnut Grove Park: A red barn that served as a dance hall for
decades is the cornerstone of this 20-acre park off Sycamore Drive.
Dubbed the Williams Barn, the 1950 building was moved to the park
in 1993 to make way for the Civic Center. Square dancers still use
the pecan dance floor and the hall is also used by local Boy Scout
troops and other community organizations. The park has equestrian
arenas, a soccer field, picnic gazebos and a playground.

Discovery Lake Park: Feeding the ducks and waiting for the fish
to bite are popular pastimes in the park. With access to numerous
trails, a fishing dock, playground and picnic gazebos, the 23-acre
park is one of the city's best-known. It is at the end of Foxhall
Drive in the Discovery Hills development.

Cerro de las Posas Park: A spray ground and pool offer summer
entertainment. The 12-acre park also has two soccer fields, two
tennis courts, a softball field, a half-court for basketball games
and picnic tables.

Jack's Pond Park: Shortly before it opened, city officials
called the park's sage-covered hills and old irrigation pond a
hidden jewel. For years, locals used the pond as an unofficial
swimming hole. Now a one-mile trail winds past it, and a nature
center is housed in an old barn on the 23-acre park. The center,
which has displays on native wildlife and plants, is open on
Saturdays. The park also has a playground and picnic gazebos.

Knob Hill Park: A green patch in the "heart of a metropolis" is
the way Schramm describes the park. The city wanted a park to serve
nearby Knob Hill Elementary school, senior apartments and
townhouses, he said. The three-acre park off Avenida Ricardo is
within walking distance of all three and offers a respite for
picnickers or those who want a dose of green.